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Egypt unrest: Court sentences 101 Morsi supporters to three years in prison for acts of violence

Mon 14 Jul 2014, 10:18 AM AEST

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Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood protest in Cairo.

Reuters: Amr Abdallah Dalsh. File photo.

An Egyptian court has sentenced 101 supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to three years in jail for acts of violence in the Nile Delta city of Damietta, according to state media.

State news agency MENA said the 101 Morsi supporters were jailed for three years after they were found guilty over July 2013 clashes in which 18 people were injured in Damietta, while 17 co-defendants, all minors, were acquitted.

Egyptian courts have sparked international concern over a spate of mass trials of Mr Morsi's supporters, with rights groups repeatedly accusing the authorities of using the judiciary as a tool of repression.

Since Mr Morsi's ouster in July last year, a government crackdown on his supporters has killed 1,400 people in street clashes, and over 15,000 Islamists and protesters have been jailed.

At least 200 people have also been sentenced to death in speedy mass trials, including Mohamed Badie, the leader of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Mr Morsi is currently on trial in three separate cases, with a fourth yet to come to court.